1987Comanche

At this point somewhere around 6K miles/yr. She gets driven to work 1-2 days each week, junkyard runs, and whenever I need to haul things around. There have been a few periods where she wasn't driven much due to needed repairs. The longest period was prior to the trans rebuild. Not being able to shift into gear when warmed up and running made it very difficult to drive in any kind of appreciable traffic.

Yes, the clutch master is the same for internal and external slave. I found a plastic clutch master that's lasted pretty well. The aluminum ones lasted about 3 months each. I think it was either Bendix or Lucas.

Very nice truck! Looks almost identical to an old member's truck, except his was a '90. He lived in Asheville and sold it a few years back: https://comancheclub.com/topic/38813-1990-comanche-daily-driven-autocross-build/#comments

Thanks! She's the first one in the fleet that's made it to 300K.

Big day! She turned 300,000 miles!

I stand corrected. Sorry about that. That's what I get for having less than 5 min to spend assessing this MJ for parts.

No problem. I'm glad people enjoy keeping up with her

Nice haul! Out of curiosity did you verify the 88 had a BA10/5 instead of an AX-15? If it is an AX-15 it would be worth grabbing.

After the steering box/shock/thermostat housing battle it was gratifying to take Georgia on a nice road trip. I put 350 miles on her, she ran great and earned her keep. I picked up a GN 200-R4 for my Olds and found some other goodies for the fleet. Perfect junkyard weather: overcast and low 70s in Charlotte. Also saw a sweet old Vette on I-40.

I found this poor '86 at LKQ yesterday. Not too much left to give but still had the AMC20, a slider, and bucket seats. The seats are in poor shape but the brackets can be removed with a Dremel and some time (I had neither). Not sure if the nuts are seized to the studs, rounded off, etc. I only had a few minutes to look at this one. Could probably add her to the registry too: 1JTHS6619GT037698

Traced down the coolant leak to the thermostat housing. Should have been a straightforward project but the top bolt seized to the housing. Had to cut the housing at the bolt with a Dremel, beat it off the stud with a hammer/chisel, then use some Freeze & Release to work the stud out. She fought me on new shocks too. Upper mount on the passenger's side decided to peel the threads off with the nut. 7/16"-14 die was a decent fit and I had some Top-Lock nuts so I used that.

They are used units. At one point I picked up a reman one for my Suburban but it had more slop than what I'd intended to replace. Also I found a lot of paint on the fluid inlet side. Cardone boxes didn't inspire my confidence

She's the perfect base for a 4WD conversion! You can always do a stock/best of 4WD conversion like I did. Mine appears factory and, interestingly, the JT folks (been having a lot of conversations with them at gas stations, etc.) just assume all MJs were 4WD.

Had to change out her steering box again . Last one started leaking at the pitman arm seal and I was getting some scary handling over bumps which may/may not be attributable to the box. I'll save box #3 for now. If handling is the same and #4 has issues I can always replace the seal. So the steering box summary is: #1, OEM. Started coughing up metal fines. #2 1st ZJ box. Developed a dead spot (no assist) when cold. Had to reuse the pump from box #1 and I'm guessing the fines eventually ate it. #3. 2nd ZJ box. Started leaking at the pitman arm seal. Also some odd handling but we'll see if that's related to box or something else in the front end. #4. 3rd ZJ box. Also found a coolant leak I need to trace down.

She's looking great! I didn't know there was a solid steel spacer for the steering box available. What's the advantage vs. the factory AL one?

I can't wait! I took a lap around the machine shop prior to giving them my engine and was happy with what I saw. Very clean overall (shop & equipment) and they had a Sunnen SV-10, a Rottler, a VF-3, and a few Clausings. Interestingly I didn't see a Bridgeport but it was only a quick lap. He's going to see if he can locate Mahle Motorsport pistons for her. Good alloy and has a modern ring pack

The Olds Rocket 350 is torn down and packed up. Ready for Georgia to haul it to the machine shop!

Not mine but looks like it would be a good deal for someone looking to do a 4WD AX-15 swap. https://tricities.craigslist.org/pts/d/mendota-1993-jeep-cherokee-country/7187472737.html

Found her on Marketplace. Sold her in 2009. Driver's side door is from a Cherokee and the moulding and chrome door handle are unmistakable. Looks like she's had a rough go of it. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1447908638727119 Pic from when I sold her in 2009. Note the door

I went through this on my '87. Ended up removing the track bar bracket, cutting the castle nut off with a dremel/chisel, then put the bracket in the 20ton press to pop what was left out of the bracket. Worked ok but took a lot longer than I anticipated.

Great to see the body being methodically rehabilitated. The hobby shop is great. It's one of the things I miss the most, LeJeune's had a paint booth too.

My roll cab

Clean looking truck! You'll need to have a new driveshaft made. Get the slip yoke with the 231. Here's my 4WD conversion:

New pump and box are doing well. Took her to Raleigh to help a friend regear a 8.5" 10 bolt and picked up some gems, including a rebuildable heart for the convertible:

I chased belt squealing/chirping on my '92 for a long time. What P/S pulley do you have? Plastic, metal with no holes, or metal with holes? The metal pulleys are bottomed out while the depth needs to be set on the plastic one. If it didn't squeak before but does now I'd start there.